Day 1:  There was a gentleman there and he was attempting to find out what was going on with his account. Clearly he did not know that his account had been overdrawn based on fees and was quite unhappy. Appears that deductions had not come out when they were supposed to and his account was in the negative. The gentleman was continuously shaking his head as in disbelief.

Lesson learned:  You must always always check your bank account and stay on top of what you have done when it comes to spending, deposits and deductions made.

Day 2:  The twins and I go into the bank there is one man at the window and he is vocal. What is happening with my accounts? The bank is making more money off of me than I am putting in. He has several accounts and I don’t mean 2 or 3, he had many. I heard them say money market account, checking account and savings account. Then they shared with him there is a fee for every time a transaction was made. He said, I am too busy for that to happen. Then he asked the question: Why don’t the bank protect the consumer and contact them and say you know we have a better account for you or something of that nature. Oh, you know that banker could not say anything. I took it in and the teller was clarifying what this customer wanted – ALL ACCOUNTS CLOSED.

Lesson in this one:  Know what the bank fees are for the different accounts, the number of transactions you can make prior to any fee being charged, is there a minimum balance required. Also if you are unhappy with your current bank – SHOP around and get what you DESERVE. I’m not for banks making money on their clients but providing inadequate customer service.

America Saves says Start Small and Think BIG! I wholeheartedly agree because you will be able to achieve the small goals and then move up to the big ones. During America Saves Week, I shared how important it was to have a savings goal. I recommended short-term and long-term goals because as you reach the short-term goals it will encourage you to establish even longer goals. There is nothing like feeling a sense of accomplishment. It makes you feel as if you can take on the world. Let me share a secret – you can take on the world and WIN. Does not matter what area of life it is either.

Next I shared some quick ways to save money. It is fine to know information but unless you apply that information it does not mean a thing. One of the ways I mentioned to save money quickly was to brown bag your lunch. Sure people have heard this over and over but unless you do it, you will contine to spend that $6 – $10 for lunch everyday when you could be saving that money. The same applies for the vending machines. Buy your snacks at your local grocery store and get enough variety so that you do not become bored and tempted to spend your money in the vending machine because you do not like what you have.

Saving money can affect many areas of our lives and your vocation. I talked about saving as an entrepreneur. That is when it could literally turn into a game… how many ways can you save money as an entrepreneur. Remember America Saves is there to help you and encourage you as you proceed in your savings plan.  I know that it can be challenging in the beginning to save money but once you start and see that account grows, it will encourage you to save even more.

What do you want to see different with your savings strategy within the next 3 months, the next 6 months? If you have children are you expressing the importance of saving money? Have you heard Pay yourself first. Well, you should be paying yourself first. Don’t think you are not worthy because you are.

If you make an effort to save repeatedly and create the habit, then you will do it regularly. Change your mindset when it comes to saving. Your mindset should be savings is a GREAT thing and my money is working FOR me. Mindset is really important when it comes to money. There are too many people living in a poverty mindset and it is time for CHANGE. REPROGRAMMING if you will when it comes to money.

When I looked at the previous business model that I was using, I saw how it was not on point. Therefore money was being spent ineffectively. When it comes to personal, you better believe that my husband and I have talked and established a goal for this year. What we would like to see when it comes to savings personally as well as what is the savings plan for the business.

When there is a husband and wife in the picture, both must agree and work the plan together for the benefit of the marriage and long-term goals. When it comes to savings, it is absolutely acceptable to set short and long-term goals. Because if you set short-term goals and achieve them, this could encourage you to set an even longer-term goal the next time. You will know that you can do it because you accomplished the short term goal already and have that to be your focus.

A short term goal could be 30 days, 60 days or 90 days. Not to long and not to short but realistic so that you can see yourself making progress. Remember, it takes WILLPOWER. There will be times when you are tempted to not put the money away or take the money out of the account – don’t do it UNLESS it is an EXTREME Emergency. Sure that might seem relative however, you know an emergency is not they are having a sale at a department store and you HAVE to HAVE that item.

Enough said on that. You have almost made it through this week. Keep on hanging in there. You are making GREAT strides. Don’t forget to check out my partner, Americasaves.org

Ways to look at saving money:

1) For the business owner regardless of start-up, been around a few years one of the first things that you should do is make sure you are marketing to the proper target. If you are marketing to the wrong target you are throwing money away. It is almost like the “shot gun” approach. Where you advertise to the masses and hope to hit a client or two. Whereas when you have done your research and market effectively to your target, your dollars are being spent wiser and should go longer.

2) Re-evaluate the different services that you are using for your business. Do you need cell phone, blackberry, pager, etc? I think we sometimes get off track because we become GADGET driven. Think about how much you could save if you only had what you needed not getting all the things that you want.

3) This one is huge. How many subscriptions to different memberships, e-courses and such do you belong to? How much are you spending per month on subscriptions? How much of it do you really use? I remember about three years ago, I cut every subscription off. I was spending almost $200 a month in subscriptions and the business was not paying for it. Take a look you might be surprised. As a personal finances person, we have to evaluate situations in our lives too.

Those are just a tip of the iceberg of ways to save as a business owner. Don’t take it lightly when you are an entrepreneur that you should not save because you should. That way when times are slow, you can fall back on money you have set aside and get really creative with marketing and institute a referral policy at that time.

Savings is not just for the individual, but also married couples, business owners, students and more.

Here are some quick ways that you can save money:

1) Not necessarily a new one but have you done it? Eliminate the latte’s in the morning or soft drinks at work. Put that money in an envelope every time you are about to go and purchase a soft drink or a latte. Make sure that you have either taken some bottled water with you in place of the soft drink, or purchased it at the local grocery store so that you are not spending that money in vending machines. As for the latte’s, make your own at home.

2) At the end of each day, empty out all the loose change in your pocket or purse into a jar and you will be surprised at how fast that money adds up. This is something that we have even done with our twins. They are on their second piggy bank. They are looking forward to the day when they can go and cash it in. No hurry just keep adding to it.

3) Re-evaluate every bill you have. What can you eliminate or reduce. Could you be paying less for a service or do you really need a service or is it more of a want? I have been of the mindset that if it is a service that you can turn back on such as cable, long-distance then you can do without them for a period of time. For example instead of long-distance service – use a calling card for a minute if necessary. 

4) One of my mom’s favorites is BROWN BAG your lunch. Alright that does mean you have to be creative with your lunches so that you do not get bored and fall into the trap of spending anywhere from $6 to $10 for lunch 5 days a week. On the low end if you work 5 or 6 days a week at $6 that is $30 to 36 and over 4 weeks that is $120 to $144.

5) Stick to your grocery list when going to the store. Don’t buy anything extra and do not go to the grocery store hungry! Hmmm, that will definitely get you in a lot of trouble.

Listen, I know to save money takes commitment and STRONG WILLPOWER. What will saving money mean to your life, your marriage and your family? What is the result? If you think about the result, it makes it all worth it.

Don’t forget to stop by www.AmericaSaves.org .

Your goal could say for each month, I will save x amount of dollars and put it into this account. If you have not chosen a bank account yet that you want to put your money into.. do your research and see where you would get the best return. Whether it is a bank account, money market account or even a CD. Do your homework.

I remember many many years ago when I was teaching finances online to a specific group the different online accounts that we discussed were ING, FNBODirect and EmigrantDirect were the ones we talked about. Do your research and see what is the opening amount you need to have, how much has to be maintained and if there are any fees associated with the account. All of those factors make a difference. When it comes to money, you must pay attention. No pun intended.

Set your goal and go for it. I encourage you to go to www.AmericaSaves.org and see what resources they have available regarding goal setting as well. Until tomorrow…All it takes it a START!

Saving is not meaning in this aspect to rescue a person. Savings means funds put by as a reserve for whatever reason. Regardless of your financial situation, one of the goals you should have is to have a savings account with a certain amount of money in it.

What does saving mean to you? For me savings mean having that reserve for emergencies, having a fund that can sit there and not touch but grow repeatedly as I continue to put money in the account. I think one aspect of saving that would make it easy for people is to have an automatic deduction coming out of your checking account that goes into a savings account. Why? Because then you will not miss that money.

Let’s say for example, you had one bill that you had to pay off and then you would not have any other bills. Why not take the money you were paying on the bill and put it directly into your savings! Since you were used to taking that money and paying on a bill, why not turn around and pay yourself. Ahhhh! What a concept. Don’t take that money back into your wallet that you spend. Why not build up your savings even more by putting that money aside in addition to what you were already doing.

If you do an automatic deduction every time you get paid, then you have already made your decision. This can be different for each person because you have to look at various factors: employment – are you working for someone else or do you work for yourself; do you have a lot of bills and have not figured out what you can do without in order to save; or have you established a certain time within your financial plan for 2010  that you will begin saving? Whichever answer it is, all I want to say is BEGIN.

Go to America Saves and sign up. They are a resource that also acts as an accountability person that encourages you with various email messages. Begin your savings plan today!

America Saves Week is individuals will be encouraged and assisted to assess their savings progress and take action to advance this progress.  This encouragement and assistance will be provided by organizations and professionals with an interest in improving the financial security of individuals and families.

As a Personal Finances Expert, Money and Marriage advocate, it is also very important that couples have a savings plan whether you are engaged, newly married or have been married for several years. It is my HONOR to be a partner of Black America Saves and support America Saves Week.  What does that mean for you the reader?

You will receive tips, recommendations, maybe even downloads that focus on different methods of saving. I know that savings can be a fun part of life whether you are a kid, high school student, college student, young adult or even adult. It is all in what you make it. So this week let’s have a lot of fun as we talk about savings, working our savings plan and changing lives.

Savings is not something that should be overlooked regardless of financial situation. However, it should be recognized as a financial means of be prepared for emergencies, way of building wealth, learning how to save money at the lowest amount and watching it build over time and much more.

I remember having a discussion with a Local Pastor several weeks ago and one message we agreed that when it came to investing we were not told about investment at a young age. What a difference it would make if the youth were taught how to invest $5 and watch it become $50. Then invest $50 and it became $500 and so forth and so on.

We are going to have loads of fun this week with creative ways of saving money wherever you are. If you have a recommendation, send it in.

Once they become engaged, the wedding planning begins to carry out exactly what that dream is that has been in their mind for years. Reading various bridal magazines, attending bridal show after bridal show, going to bridal shops and even watching various shows.. Say Yes To The Dress and much more. Then you begin talking with girlfriends in detail about your plans and even your parents.

This day.. Your Wedding day must come off without a hitch. You are taking the time and attention to ensure this happens just as you have dreamed. For some of you that means you hire a wedding planner, for others of you that means you do it yourself and either way there are checklist invovled. You make sure all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed. You WILL NOT, down right REFUSE to leave anything to chance.

The wedding day approaches and you have confidence that everything is the way you want it. Minutes after saying “I Do” comes the marriage. What have you done to plan for the marriage? We all know the statistics money is one of the top reasons for divorce.

What have you done to plan for your money and marriage? How do you handle your fiance coming into the marriage with debt and NOT paying his bills but you don’t find out until weeks after you say “I Do”.  When you were talking about the wedding expenses, you were continuing to plan for the wedding and nothing else.

What will you do if he is the money manager and does not want to have a joint account with you? If this hurts your feelings, what will you do afterwards? What if you are bringing bills into the marriage, he knows about it and has agreed to help you pay off your debt BUT wants a full accounting of your money? How will you handle that? Does he deserve to get a full accounting? Do you get offended and say I don’t want your help because you are now faced with a lack of trust on your part? Even as you are reading this, do you honestly know what financial obligations are being brought into the marriage by your future spouse? Have you talked about it? Have you seen things that are red flags but are choosing to ignore it because you want to be married?

Sure, I could go on and on because I live money and marriage every day. I know money is not a romantic or even a “warm fuzzy feeling kind of topic”. Yet, marriages are ending every day because of money issues that husbands and wives did not “TALK” (not argue) about and reach solutions. Before you plan another detail for your wedding, take the time and begin PLANNING and GETTING answers for your impending MARRIAGE.

To learn how to communicate about money in the comfort of your own home, grab your copy today of Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk and The Debt Stops At The Altar financial education program for engaged couples and newlyweds. Your marriage does not have to be like everyone else’s filled with financial stress and strain, being called at work with complaints from the spouse about finances and more.

Money and marriage is a private topic and embarrassing if you have made some wrong choices. That is one of the reasons this program was developed so couples could get answers in the comfort of their own home behind closed doors. Whether they do it together or one spouse listens first and then shares with the other it is a flexible program. You learn how to TALK with each other about money, how to decide who the money manager should be, recognizing shopper and saver characteristics and more.